Traitor
by A Scary Man
Summary: STORY COMPLETE: A third party member has died, as Cloud closes in on the treacherous killer.
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS

Prologue:

On the fourth floor of Midgar City Hospital, the solitary patient in ward 7 lay on his back and thought hard while he stared at the ceiling. There was little else for him to do. He'd already lost one leg, and got less and less movement out of the other one with each passing day. His right arm was a mangled mess, and his left arm was his only remaining functional limb. His neck and face were almost entirely covered by bandages to hide his horrific scarring, but a few tufts of blond hair still stuck out between the folds in the gauze. That wasn't even the worst of it: his internal injuries were far more serious. Eating was getting difficult, and even breathing was becoming painful. His one remaining eye blinked as he gazed up at the white ceiling tiles.

Rufus knew he was dying. The medical staff spoke encouraging words in an attempt to aid his recovery, but he knew there was no hope left for him now. His life had effectively ended the moment Weapon had attacked the Shinra building, blasting Rufus down a set of stairs to land on a jagged metal edge – probably part of a support strut – which had ruptured one of his lungs, and left him bleeding to death. That he'd been discovered and pulled from the building alive was miracle enough. That had been ten days ago and he had only deteriorated since then. Five days ago – or was it six? – he'd heard the news that Sephiroth was no more, Meteor was gone, and that they were saved.

It was an ignominious end for the President of the greatest organisation the Planet had ever seen. He'd have been happier to have been killed outright in the Weapon attack. At least there would have been some honour in such a death, instead of fading away to nothing in a hospital bed, becoming more and more helpless. Rufus knew who was to blame for his current condition: those damned terrorists! He knew full well that Weapon had fired the shots that crippled him, and that Sephiroth was the one who had summoned Meteor, but the ones he held responsible were the AVALANCHE. Everything had started to go wrong once they had appeared on the scene: the Sephiroth attacks, the Meteor crisis, not to mention the death of his father and every top ranking Shinra employee save himself and Palmer.

Only one thing filled his mind: revenge. He only had a short while remaining, and he knew he must set plans in motion to ensure that the terrorists followed him to the grave. Luckily he had just the perfect method. He allowed himself a cracked, malevolent smile as he thought about it. They had never even realised. Of the eight members of AVALANCHE, one of them had been in Rufus' pay all along, and even now would merely be waiting to be contacted, in order to carry out Rufus' bidding. Rufus wanted to laugh, but all that would come was a dry, hacking cough. He turned his head to the left, rested on the pillow, and reached out with his good arm to pick up the telephone on the table beside him. 

* * *

Eight of them stood at the edge of the lake where Aeris had been put to rest, listening solemnly as Cloud said a few well-chosen words to commemorate the last Cetra: how she'd grown up knowing she was somehow different, how she'd become an integral part of the struggle for the life of the Planet, how she'd eventually given her life in her attempt to summon Holy, how she'd died before her time, never having the chance to live the life that might have been.

Cloud Strife, the leader of the party, probably the saddest of them all, the one who'd known Aeris the best and would miss her the most. He fought to keep control of himself, to keep the overwhelming weight of emotion he felt out of his voice, remembering that awful, terrible moment when Aeris had been killed – _murdered_ – by Sephiroth.

Tifa Lockheart, who'd shared a strange yet instinctive bond with Aeris, and had recognised a kindred spirit in the young Ancient. She tried and failed to hold back the tears that leaked slowly from her eyes and dripped on to the ground, falling with an irregular rhythm, like the first drops of rain falling on to the soil to nurture the flowers, as Aeris had done.

Barret Wallace, who stood stolid and silent at Tifa's side, who'd seen the death of far too many friends over the years: Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, Dyne and now Aeris. He'd since learned to cope with the death of a friend, but it still didn't make it any easier. His hands were clasped in front of him, his real arm and his prosthetic limb which had been attached after the Meteor crisis, when he swore he'd devote his life to caring for his daughter and never use a weapon again.

Cid Highwind, who hadn't known Aeris well, since he'd been the last to join the party, but still recognised how important she had been to his friends, and to the wellbeing of the Planet also. He rested the butt of his spear against the soft ground and wondered: what now? What path would he and the others be lead along now that Aeris was gone and the Meteor crisis was over? Would they remain together or separate to go their own ways?

Cait Sith, standing with his head bowed and his ears drooping downwards as a sign of his sorrow. The miniature cat wiped away a tear and the larger stuffed animal mimicked the action. He remembered that day in the Temple of the Ancients, when he'd predicted the future Cloud and Aeris might have together. For him, that was the saddest thing of all: the future she would never have.

Vincent Valentine, who brooded silently, emotionlessly, as always. Swathed in the folds of his dark crimson cloak, he thought about Aeris and felt nothing. He had expected as much. He was no longer able to feel emotions: pity, love, sadness or regret – save one. Anger. It was anger, anger at Hojo, that had driven him to join the party, and now he felt only anger at the death of Aeris. He knew it was time to cast aside such feelings and try to build a new future in a world that was free of Sephiroth and Hojo and Shinra, but he couldn't.

Yuffie Kisaragi, the young selfish ninja, who'd gone through her sixteen years hardly ever thinking of anyone other than herself. Still a child, she was unable to understand Aeris' passing in the same way as the others. Yuffie was sad that a friend had died, but she failed to grasp the enormity of the situation. Perhaps in time, she would learn.

Red XIII, the red-furred lion, inclined his head towards the ground as a solemn mark of respect for Aeris. He regretted that he would never have a chance to get to know her better, as he'd always wanted to. Right from the moment he'd first met her, he'd sensed something was unusual about this girl. Whether it was an animal sense or something higher than that, he'd never been able to tell. And now, he never would. Red closed his eyes and uttered a low howl of mourning that was below the range of human hearing. He mourned the death of a dear friend, and the loss of the last protector of the Planet.

One of these eight was a traitor.


	2. The First Murder

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS

Chapter One

The silence in the room was broken by the shrill, insistent ringing of a PHS handset. After three rings, it was picked up and answered, "Yes?"

"This is President Rufus."

"President Rufus is dead. If you're really him, speak the code-word."

"I am not dead. The code-word is 'conqueror'. Is that proof enough?"

"It'll do. What would you have of me?"

"You are still a member of the group AVALANCHE?"

"Yes."

"They do not suspect you?"

"I have seen no signs of it."

"Then I want you to kill them."

"I see. One by one, or all at once?"

"I don't care how you do it. Just make sure they're dead."

"Very well. What shall my reward be?"

There came the sound of Rufus coughing, then groaning with pain, "I have only a few days left, so I will not be able to deliver it to you in person. Once you have completed your mission, go to what remains of the Shinra building. In the underground vault you will find all the necessary information to access my private bank account. At last account it contained roughly 10 billion gil. That money will be yours to use as you wish. It won't do me any good now, that's for sure. I just want to make sure the AVALANCHE pay for what they have done."

"I understand. I will not fail you."

Ending the call, the AVALANCHE traitor placed the PHS down on the table, and stood in thought for several minutes, trying to plan how it might be done. It would not be easy. Taking them out one by one would probably be easier, but they'd be on their guard once they realised what was happening. Might it be easier to wait until they were all together, and simply set off a bomb? The traitor had no idea when or where the party might next meet up, if ever. For now it would probably be better to go with the 'one by one' plan. Taking a sheet of paper and pencil, the traitor sat down at the table and tried to decide on the first target. Would it be better to take out the weakest party members first and work on up, or go for the strong links while they were unsuspecting? The traitor ran their mind over the seven targets, then came to a decision. Picking up the PHS once more, they dialled a number and waited for an answer.

"Hello, is that the airport? Yes, I would like to book a flight to…"

* * *

In the hospital ward, Rufus had just put down the phone, and looked up as the pretty young nurse entered the room.

"Are you finished on the phone now, Mr Jackson? I've brought your lunch. I'll just leave it on the table beside your bed."

"Thank you."

Rufus had been careful not to reveal his true identity to the medical staff. Besides the fact that the inhabitants of Midgar weren't fond of the Shinras, the last thing he wanted was a famous death. Better that the populace believe he perished in the Shinra building, while a man called Mr 'Jackson' died of his injuries in hospital. Doubtless when performing a post mortem, they'd find out who he really was, but by then Rufus would certainly have quit caring. He reached over to pick up the tray holding his lunch, and allowed himself a smile. It was done now. He'd almost certainly be dead before his agent managed to kill all of the terrorists, but at least he could die secure in the knowledge that he would have vengeance on his enemies.

Cloud sat hunched on the newly-cut grass of his front garden, staring morosely at the ground in front of him. Try as he might, he still couldn't get Aeris out of his head. He'd hoped that holding a formal remembrance for her, might help him to focus his mourning and move on. Seemingly it hadn't. Hopefully it would just be a matter of time. He didn't want to be haunted by his thoughts and memories for the rest of his life.

Tifa looked over at him from where she was tending the flowers, and said, "Cloud? You all right?"

He gave a non-committal grunt. Tifa was his fiancee now and he didn't feel comfortable talking to her about Aeris, for obvious reasons. Still being hung up on another woman would not be the best way to start their marriage.

"If you're thinking about Aeris, I know how you feel," she said. "I'm struggling to let go of her memory as well."

"I just - I just can't help feeling there was something, something more we should have done, to help her, so that she didn't have to go alone and get killed."

"I know," she said. "I'm the same. But we've got to move on. The past has happened, and there's nothing we can do to change it. We've got a new life together and we've got to leave the past behind."

"You're right - but it's not that easy."

"We've got to try. We must be strong."

"I need a drink."

Tifa watched as Cloud got up and went back inside the house. The two of them lived together in Nibelheim, having bought Cloud's old house shortly after the destruction of Meteor, with the intention of settling down together. They still owned the villa in Costa del Sol, which they used as a holiday home. Maybe a holiday would be a good idea now, Tifa thought. They could invite the rest of their friends, and perhaps spending a week or so having a good time might help Cloud take his mind off Aeris. Tifa lay back on the grass, enjoying the glorious sunshine, tilting her hat so it protected her eyes from the sun, and thought happily about the future she had with Cloud.

Inside the house, Cloud headed for the kitchen and opened the fridge to grab a can of soft drink. Popping it open, he drank slowly from the can, letting the cold liquid trickle down his parched throat. Working in the garden in this heat certainly built up a thirst. Taking another swallow from the can, he decided to check his computer for any messages from the rest of the party. As much as he was in love with Tifa, it was still a bit lonely with just the two of them, after the eight party members had spent so much time together as a close-knit group. He missed the rough-and-ready, outgoing nature of Cid and Barret; the quiet, caring wisdom of Red XIII, and the chirpy cheerfulness of Cait Sith. As for Vincent and Yuffie - well, Cloud had to admit he didn't particularly miss Vincent or Yuffie. He'd never trusted the ninja girl, and Vincent was - frankly - an emotional vacuum. Either of them was good to have on your side in a fight, but neither of them would have been high on Cloud's list of preferred social companions. 

Wandering through into the study, he powered up the computer and checked for messages. There were in fact several, all from the other party members. Cloud read through each of them: Barret and Marlene had just moved into their new house in Kalm; Yuffie had heard a rumour about a stash of Materia in a sunken ship off the north-west coast of Wutai, and had set out to investigate; Cid was planning to take out the submarine and try to salvage some of the wreckage of the No. 29 rocket; Cait Sith had been appointed Assistant Manager of the Gold Saucer; and Red had begun researching the life cycle of the Ancients. Nothing from Vincent - nobody was exactly sure where he was right now.

"They all seem to be getting on with life and trying to make a new start," Cloud said to himself. "I really have to do the same. Tifa and I have agreed to be married - I've got to concentrate on that and stop thinking about Aeris. I mustn't ever forget her, but I must focus on the present, specifically Tifa. In fact, I think I'll take her down to Cosmo Canyon for dinner tonight. There's a new restaurant just opened there, and if we're lucky we might bump into Red."

* * *

Red XIII pushed the wooden door closed with his hind paw, and trotted forward to the desk where his research papers were laid out. With the flame on the end of his tail, he lit the candles that sat on the four corners of his desk. He preferred candle-light to any other kind of light; it was more peaceful in a way, more natural than electrical light. He settled himself in the stuffed armchair in front of his desk, and set his mind to work. It was a fascinating yet very difficult research topic which he had chosen. With the information stored in the basement library of the Shinra mansion, he'd made a number of breakthroughs, yet there was so much he still didn't know about the Ancients. He'd made a lot of hypotheses, and was following several different lines of inquiry to try and see if any of his theories were correct. He really needed better scientific equipment for the kind of experiments he wanted to do. Perhaps he would take a trip to the Shinra building and have a look around the labs there, to see what kind of apparatus he might be able to use. Most beings would not have been keen to return to a place after they had suffered what had happened to Red in the Shinra labs, but his was a logical, methodical mind, which had no place for such superstitions or irrational fears.

He was so engrossed in his work that when the knock on the door came, he almost didn't hear it. Too preoccupied to get up and open the door, Red said, "Come in."

The door did not open. The knock repeated itself. Thinking he hadn't spoken loud enough, Red called loudly, "Come in!"

Still nobody entered. Perhaps the door was too thick for his voice to penetrate. Red sighed, got up out of his chair, and padded over to nudge the door open with his front paw.

"Yes, who is - "

He was cut off by the loud explosion of the gun, as he was shot from point blank range. Taken completely by surprise, Red had no chance. He was thrown backwards and fell on to his side, killed instantly by the bullet entering his brain.

* * *

Cloud and Tifa had just begun the second course of their meal, when they heard the sound of the shot. At first they paid it no heed, thinking it was most likely noise from some chemical experiment going on in Bugenhagen's labs. After all, there was no conceivable reason why anybody would be firing a weapon in Cosmo Canyon. 

However, when a scream sounded, then another, they knew something was wrong. Rising from the table, they headed towards the source of the noises to investigate. Once they got outside the restaurant, they saw a crowd of people gathering around a building at the other side of the compound. They hurried over, pushing their way through the crowd to see what had happened.

"He's dead!" a voice screamed from somewhere in the crowd. "He's dead!"

"He's been shot!" came another voice.

Cloud shoved his way to the front, steeling himself for whatever grisly spectacle might present himself, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the unmistakable figure of Red XIII, lying motionless in a pool of his own blood. Cloud gasped. He wanted to move towards his fallen friend, but he found himself rooted to the spot in shock, unable to move. He could only watch as Tifa ran forward to kneel by Red's side, checking his vital signs. She looked up at Cloud with her unhappiness and resignation plain to see.

"He's dead," she said in a flat tone. "He's been shot."

Cloud's legs were working again, and he hurried over towards Red. The lion's eyes and mouth were still open as if in surprise, suggesting he had been killed before he'd had a chance to defend himself. Cloud reached out and gently closed Red's eyes, allowing his hand to rest on the lion's mane.

"Shot?" he repeated. "But who - who would want to kill Red?"

"I have no idea," said Tifa. "We had better warn the others, in case anyone else gets attacked."

"You think somebody is after us?"

She shrugged, "I hope not. But I can't think of any other reason to kill Red. He didn't have any personal enemies - not that we knew of, anyway."

Cloud touched Red's face once more, then let his hand drop to his side. Never, never in all his wildest imaginings, would he have expected Red to be the first of the eight party members to die. Barret or Cid were easy to picture dying heroically in a last-ditch defence, but Red, with his vastly longer life-expectancy, should have outlived the rest of them by a century or more. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right, it wasn't just, and it wasn't fair. Red had so much of his life ahead of him, a life that should have been full of happiness and learning, but it had been taken from him. Just like Aeris. Red was the last of his kind and he had died. _Just like Aeris_.

Cloud felt a single tear drop from his eyes and heard the barely audible sound of it dropping on to the wooden floor. He vowed, there and then, to find the person responsible for Red's death and bring them to justice. He'd seen too many friends die already, and he wouldn't let any more go the same way. He got to his feet and headed to the exit. Tifa lingered for a moment or two to take one last look at the lifeless form of their good and faithful friend, then she too stood and followed Cloud to the door.

There were only seven in the party now.


	3. The Second Murder

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FF7 OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS

Chapter Two

In the depths of the forest near Cosmo Canyon, a solitary figure sat hunched beside a small camp-fire, deep in thought. Poking at the fire with a stick, the AVALANCHE traitor tried to decide who their next target might be. Killing Red XIII hadn't been too difficult – after all, the lion had been taken completely by surprise, never having known of the traitor's duplicity. It wouldn't be long though, the traitor reflected, before the rest of the party realised they were being hunted down one by one. What would they do then? Gather together in the hope of safety in numbers? Run off alone into hiding?

The traitor had managed to sneak out of Cosmo Canyon during the uproar following the shooting – confident that they had escaped unnoticed – and now planned their next move. Hopefully the other party members wouldn't find out about Red's death until some time the next day, by which time the killer planned to have struck once more. Then things would begin to get difficult, which meant the next target had to be chosen carefully. The traitor had once again run through the targets in their mind – it was easier now that the number had been reduced to six – and after a couple of hours' deliberation, came to a decision.

The traitor stamped out the remains of the fire, and covered the ashes with some fallen leaves and branches, not wanting to leave any evidence that they had been there. Ducking back inside the tent, the traitor planned to get a few hours' sleep before heading north-east.

* * *

Once they had got over the initial shock and horror of finding Red XIII dead in his reading chamber, Cloud and Tifa quickly searched the room for any clues that might lead them to the identity of the murderer. After an hour's work, both of them had to admit that they were getting nowhere.

"This is hopeless," Cloud sighed, flopping down in one of the armchairs. "I just don't understand why anyone would want to kill Red."

Tifa was still kneeling beside the dead lion, her hand resting gently on Red's neck, "We have to find out who did this."

"Damn right we do. Red was one of the kindest, wisest friends I ever knew. I'll kill whoever did this!"

"Hmm – I'm trying to think. We got here more or less right after we heard the shot fired, right?"

Cloud nodded.

"So, it's probably a fair assumption that whoever murdered Red isn't around any more. They must have run off as soon as they killed him, knowing the sound of the shot was sure to attract attention."

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "We should ask around, find out if anyone noticed anything earlier tonight, maybe saw somebody acting suspiciously."

"We have to call the others too. We have to let them know what happened."

"I'll do that. You keep looking for clues; you're probably better at it than I am."

Tifa watched as Cloud left the room, dialling a number on his PHS, in preparation to spread the bad news. She sighed and her head drooped, staring down at the still form of Red XIII. She felt tears creeping into her eyes at the thought of never again seeing Red's wise head bowed in thought, or his proud, powerful figure running into battle. Who could be so utterly cruel and heartless as to end the life of one who had done nothing but good for the sake of the Planet and his friends? Tifa was getting angrier by the moment, and she finally jumped to her feet, striding towards the exit, vowing to find out who had done this and make them pay.

* * *

Barret Wallace stood and waited patiently by the small wooden fence that surrounded the local school in Kalm. He was twenty minutes early for Marlene getting out of school, but he didn't mind the wait. Barret was happy to stand and think about the bright future that his daughter would have, now that Sephiroth and the Weapons and the Shinra were no more. He loved standing in town on a warm spring day like this and simply enjoying looking at the flowers and trees. Barret had spent so long in Midgar, where such beautiful things no longer existed, that he delighted in the works of nature. When buying his new home, he'd made sure that it included a garden. One of his first actions had been to plant new flower-beds alongside the path that led to his front door. Hopefully those plants would grow and bloom before long, and he would have his own personal part of nature's beauty.

On hearing the footsteps behind him, he turned round out of idle interest to see who was there. Barret had got to know a few of his neighbours, and they seemed like good, friendly people, so he was always keen to get to know more of them. To his surprise, the person approaching was one of his fellow party members.

"Hey!" exclaimed Barret. "What you doin' here?"

"I was in town," the other replied. "I thought I'd come and say hello."

"Nice of you," Barret smiled. "I wasn' sure when I'd next be seein' any of ya."

"I'm doing a spot of travelling, so I hope to bump into most of the rest of the party at some point."

"Be sure to say hi for me. Say, the school's out in twenty minutes, do you wanna go and have a quick drink?"

The traitor nodded, "Of course."

Barret led the way back to his new house, where he went into the kitchen to grab some beers from the fridge while his guest waited in the front room.

"I've had the back room converted into a spare bedroom, so if you wanna stay for the night you're more than welcome," Barret was saying as he re-entered the front room holding two bottles of cold beer.

On finding the front room empty, he frowned, "Huh? Where'd ya go?"

The last thing he knew was a crashing pain in the back of his head as something smashed into the back of his skull with incredible force. Barret pitched forward and landed on the floor, the beer bottles rolling from his fingers to hit the wall. The traitor threw aside the heavy metal wrench which Barret had carelessly left lying around in the hallway, and crouched down to make sure the big man was dead. He was. The killer left the house, carefully closing the door as they went. So far, so good. Now to lie low for a day or two and see what the party's response was.

* * *

Marlene Wallace waited impatiently at the entrance to the school, wondering what was taking Daddy so long. He'd promised to be there to meet her as soon as school had finished, but he was nowhere in sight. Maybe he was busy in the garden again and had lost track of time. Marlene folded her arms grumpily. All her friends had gone home already and there was nobody left to talk to. To make matters worse she was starting to get cold. She looked at her watch. They'd been learning to tell the time in school today, and she calculated that she'd been waiting for nearly twenty minutes. Daddy had _never_ been this late before; in fact, before today he had always been early.

Eventually Marlene got tired of waiting, and decided to walk home on her own. Daddy had warned her not to wander about the town on her own, but she knew the route to get home, and she wasn't any safer standing outside the school on her own. It took her ten minutes to walk home, stopping to laugh at a pair of kittens fighting over a ball in the street. When she got to the house, Marlene reached up to turn the door-handle, pushing the door open with her other hand.

"Daddy? Are you home?"

There was no response. Marlene dropped her schoolbag in the hallway and headed for the front room, planning to watch some TV before Daddy showed up and made her do her homework instead. On entering the front room, she found Daddy lying on the floor, not moving.

"Daddy? Did you fall over? Did you hurt yourself?"

She ran round to grab Barret's hand and tug on his arm, "Daddy, wake up! Are you asleep?"

Still Daddy did not move. Marlene shook his shoulders, beginning to feel scared. What was wrong with Daddy? Was he sick? Should she phone the doctor? She couldn't, she didn't know the number. Marlene hurried into the hallway where Barret's PHS sat on the table. From memory she dialled the number Daddy had made her memorise in case of an emergency, and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" came a voice she recognised.

"Uncle Cloud, Uncle Cloud!" she cried. "Daddy's ill and he won't get up! I think something's wrong with him!"

For a moment there was silence, then Cloud replied, "All right, Marlene. We're on our way. Go round to a friend's house or something until we get there."

Marlene agreed and hung up. She grabbed her coat and headed for the door.

* * *

On the other end of the line, Cloud felt a sickening feeling coming over him. Barret…what had happened to Barret? Had he been attacked too? Surely it was too much coincidence, coming a day after Red's murder. Cloud left the room, in search of Tifa – they'd stayed overnight at the Cosmo Canyon Inn – and found her in Red's quarters, still scanning the room for clues.

"Any luck?" he asked.

"Nothing. Not a single piece of evidence that anyone else was here."

Cloud ran his hand through his hair and said, "I just had Marlene on the phone. I think Barret's been attacked."

"Is he – dead?"

"She didn't say. She probably doesn't know. We have to get up there immediately."

"Let's go."

It was a few hours later when they arrived in Kalm and asked for directions to the Wallace home. When they got there, it didn't take long for Tifa to make the discovery of Barret's body in the front room. She called Cloud, who hurried in from where he'd been searching in the back room, and they knelt down beside the big man's unmoving form. Tifa put a hand on Barret's neck and felt for a pulse. There was nothing.

"He's gone," she whispered. "He's dead."

Cloud had picked up the wrench and was looking at it, then at Barret's corpse alternately.

"This must be the weapon used," he said. "This is another murder."

Tifa gasped, "Do you think it's the same person who killed Red?"

"It has to be. It's too much coincidence otherwise."

"What do we do?"

"It's obvious somebody is out to kill the members of our party. We've got to gather everybody together for extra safety, and try to work on finding out who's responsible. We've got to do it _now_. We mustn't lose anybody else."

"But who can it _be_? Who's trying to kill us?"

Cloud shook his head, a blank expression on his face. Then his eyes focussed on something lying beside Barret's dead body. He picked up the beer bottles and said, "Tifa, look at this."

She looked over, "So what? Maybe he was thirsty."

"But there's _two _bottles. He was getting a drink for himself _and_ somebody else. Which means that there was somebody else in the house, somebody Barret knew."

"The same person who killed him?"

"Must be. The bottles haven't even been opened. He must have been bringing the drinks through when he got killed."

"So the killer is somebody we know. But _who_? There's none of the Shinra left. Maybe the Turks?"

Cloud snorted, "Barret wouldn't invite any of them into his house for drinks. I don't understand it at all. Somebody who Barret knew – somebody who knew where both he and Red lived – somebody who wanted both of them dead."

Tifa's eyes widened and her mouth opened in horror, "Cloud…you don't think – you don't think it's one of _us_, do you? A member of the party?"

"It can't be. It just can't be. But it has to be. There's no other explanation. There's a traitor among us."

But which of the six remaining party members was it?


	4. The Third Murder

Chapter Three

  
  
The faint signal on the heart monitor sank lower and lower, finally settling into a straight horizontal line, accompanied by a long, continuous beep, which ended as the monitor was switched off. The young doctor looked at his watch and said, "Time of death: 10.07."

The nurse gently pulled the bed-sheet over the patient's head. Poor Mr Jackson, she thought sadly. He'd been so nice and polite; he hadn't complained once, even when it was obvious he was in terrible pain. He'd been a brave man – she wondered what he had done for a living. Probably a soldier or a fire fighter, she reckoned. He must have been injured during the Weapon attack on Midgar. It was strange though, that he'd shared the same rare blood type as President Rufus.

* * *

  
  
Cloud and Tifa had spent the night at Barret's house, taking care of Marlene until a foster family could be found. They'd broken the terrible news to the little girl as gently as they could, but it was still too huge a blow for one so young. Tifa had been up most of the night comforting Marlene, who couldn't sleep and wouldn't stop crying. So many times she had watched Barret go off to risk his life for the Planet's sake, and must have wondered many times whether he might not come back alive. For him to die now, when he had renounced combat and begun a peaceful life, was a particularly cruel irony. 

Marlene had finally dropped off to sleep through sheer exhaustion, and Tifa now joined Cloud in the front room of the house, sitting by the fireplace, the flickering flames piercing the darkness of the early hours of the morning.

"She's gone to sleep at last," Tifa said, unable to keep the tiredness out of her voice. "That poor kid. Why'd they have to kill Barret, of all people? This traitor is one heartless, cold-blooded…"

She trailed off, unable to think of suitable expletives to describe the way she felt. Cloud glanced up, "I feel the same way. I just can't believe a member of our party is doing this. We, all of us, gave our lives for what we thought was right. One of us must have been faking it all along, working for somebody else."

  
"I can't think who it is. I trust all of them - all of us."

Cloud gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes, as if he might wake up and find the whole terrible thing had been a dream,

"Well, we know one thing. It isn't you or me. We were together when we heard Red get shot."

"And we were with each other in Cosmo Canyon when Barret must have been killed," she added.

"Yeah. That leaves four: Cid, Vincent, Yuffie and Cait Sith."

"I don't see how it could be any of them. They all gave far more than they had to, in order to help us save the Planet."

"It doesn't make any sense to me either. We'll have to consider them one by one. Okay, let's start with Cid. He's got the advantage of having his own transportation."

"Right. We can call Shera and ask her if he's been using the Highwind recently."

"Apart from that, there's nothing. No motive. It can't be Cid. Let's try Vincent."

Tifa nodded, "Red XIII was shot, so that points to Vincent right away, even if it is a bit too obvious. We've got no idea where he's living or what he's doing, so there's no way we can check up on his movements."

"I don't think it can be Vincent. He just doesn't seem like the kind of person."

"None of them do."

"True. Let's do Yuffie. She's untrustworthy and she's deceived us in the past."

"But she's only a child. And again, there's no motive. Yuffie's not a murderer. She might kill for Materia, but Red or Barret or the rest of us don't have any Materia that she doesn't have herself."

"That leaves Cait Sith," he said. "Well, he's certainly deceived us in the past. He was in the pay of Shinra."

"Yes, but he left Shinra for us when we went to fight Sephiroth. There was no need for him to do that if he was still their spy."

"Yeah. Okay, it can't be Cait Sith. Tifa, this is pointless. We've just gone through all four of them and stated categorically that it can't possibly be that person."

"It has to be one of them. We should concentrate on trying to find out who it _isn't_. That's a lot easier than finding out who it _is_."

"Right," said Cloud. "I'll call a meeting and get all of us together. We'll talk it over and find out which of them it is."  
"Don't you think that's risky? Bringing all of us together with the traitor?"

"It's risky. But I don't think it's any more risky than being apart. Being apart didn't keep Red and Barret safe. Having us all gathered together means the five of us who are true can defend each other."

She nodded her agreement, "Let's do it. Before there are any more killings."

* * *

  
Cid Highwind sat in his workshop, under the dim light thrown off by the single electric bulb that hung from the ceiling. Outside the building, Rocket Town was shrouded in the dusk, and the cries of wolves in the wilderness sent the village's children hurrying indoors, but Cid was thoroughly engrossed in his work. He took a long draw on his cigarette as he considered the map in front of him. It was old and worn, but the most reliable one he had. Downing a cup of   
tea, he bent over the map once more and began carefully measuring distances and angles, determined to find the exact spot where the Shinra rocket had hit the ocean. Once he was certain of the co-ordinates, he would set out to 'borrow'   
the submarine from Junon, and begin a salvage operation. If he could rebuild the rocket - he had a brilliant new design for the engines - he might make it into outer space again.

He glanced round, distracted, at the sound of a noise outside. Silence ensued.

"Huh. Thought I heard something," he said to himself.

He listened carefully in case the sound repeated itself, but he was disturbed by the ringing of his PHS. Cid looked round, and swore when he heard the ringing coming from underneath the pile of junk on his workbench.   
"Dammit, I thought I told Shera to tidy this place up," he muttered, pushing aside various objects and empty beer cans, giving a satisfied grunt when he finally unearthed his PHS.

"Y'hello?" he answered it.

"Cid? Cloud here. We have a situation. Red and Barret have been murdered."

"You _what_?!" Cid yelled, spitting out his cigarette. "What happened?"

"We don't know. But it gets worse. The murderer is one of us, one of the party."

"Are you _serious_?!"

"I know, it sounds crazy, but there's no other explanation. We're getting everyone together to work out what's going on before it happens again."

"Right. Where, when?"

"We're at Barret's place in Kalm just now. We'll be here until we find somebody to look after Marlene. Get here as soon as you can. Come alone. Don't meet up with any of the others on your way. We don't know who we can trust."  
"Got you. I'm on my way."

Cid hung up. He clipped the PHS to his belt, and grabbed the Venus Gospel from where it was leaning against the wall nearby. Lucky for him that he'd just finished repairing the Highwind, and it was good to go. Cid was heading for the   
exit when he heard the sound from outside again. Normally he wouldn't have worried, but with what Cloud had just said, Cid was on his guard. He raised the Venus Gospel protectively, and crept silently towards the exit. Listening   
carefully, he thought he could hear the sound of light, padding footsteps from outside. There was definitely somebody there.  
"&*% this," Cid whispered to himself.

He kicked the door open and leapt outside, holding his spear in front of him, yelling, "Who's there?!"

There was nothing. Just the sound of the wind, the wolves howling in the distance…and something else. There was definitely somebody else there. Cid looked around, peering into the shadows. He needed some light. Fumbling in his   
pocket for a box of matches, he swore under his breath as he realised he'd left them inside.

Something crashed into him from behind, sending him sprawling on to the ground. Somehow he managed to keep a grip on the spear, and raised it defensively against his attacker as he got into a crouching position. In the   
darkness Cid could see something coming towards him, then a fist connected with his jaw, knocking him backwards again. He saw stars, but forced himself to remain conscious, and flailed blindly with his spear. A satisfying thump and a   
gasp of pain told him he'd hit his assailant. Cid got to his feet and thrust the point of the spear in the direction he judged the attacks to have come from. He hit nothing. There was nothing.

Only the sound of light, padding footsteps running off into the darkness. Cid considered giving chase, but he couldn't navigate well in the dark, though his attacker clearly could. Instead Cid turned around and ran towards the Highwind.  
  
* * *

  
  
Five of them sat around Barret's living room, none of them willing to speak or exchange eye contact, but occasionally glancing towards the window to see if the sixth party member would arrive.

"How long are we gonna wait for him to show up?" Cid said impatiently.

Cloud glanced at the clock, "Let's give him another hour."

Yuffie sighed and rested her head against the back of the seat, "Fine, let's sit here for a whole hour and stare at the wall."  
"I think it's only fair we give him a chance. He might have been delayed," said Cait Sith.

"Perhaps," said Tifa. "Then again…well, I hate to say it, but it looks as if Vincent is the traitor. He must have decided we were on to him, so he didn't show up."

"He is aware of this meeting?" Cait asked.

"He didn't answer his PHS," Cloud shrugged. "I left a message."

"Maybe he's been murdered too," Yuffie suggested. "We should go check his house. Where's he living, anyhow?"

"No idea," said Tifa. "He disappeared after Aeris' funeral. I haven't seen or heard from him. How about the rest of you?"  
The others shook their heads, and silence fell once more. Half an hour passed, with none of them willing to break the uneasy silence that permeated the room like a thick fog. Eventually Cid flicked his cigarette stub into the fireplace and sighed, "This is such a waste o' time. He's never gonna show up. I might as well come out and tell you my news right now."

"What news?"

"I was attacked outside my house, earlier tonight."

The others looked at him. Tifa said, "What happened? Are you all right?"

"Did you see who it was?" asked Cloud.

Cid shook his head, "Nope. But it was somebody who could see well in the dark."

Yuffie's head drooped, "Vincent has perfect night-vision. It's because of the things Hojo did to him. I still don't believe he's a traitor though! Vinnie wouldn't kill Red or Barret!"

Cait shrugged, "One of us did. He's the most likely suspect."

"I wonder who he's working for," said Cid. "Or do you reckon he's lost his mind and gone on a killing spree?"

"Difficult to say," said Tifa.

Cloud fingered his Escort Guard absent-mindedly and declared, "We've got to track him down and bring him to justice!"

Yuffie got to her feet angrily, "Now wait a minute! You can't sit there and accuse Vinnie without any proof! All right, he looks guilty on the surface, but I know he's innocent!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because…because…no, I can't tell you…"

"Can't tell us what?"

Yuffie hung her head and looked at the floor, "I know he's innocent. I know Vinnie would never murder anyone. I just know it."

"Sorry, Yuffie, but that's not enough," said Cloud. "You'll have to give us some evidence. Do you know where he was during the time of the killings?"

"No," she sighed. "I haven't seen him since Aeris' funeral."

"He must have had us fooled all along," said Cid. "He pretended to be emotionless so that he could hide that fact he was a traitor."

"He isn't a traitor!" Yuffie screamed, jumping to her feet once more. "He isn't! And he isn't a murderer!"

She turned away and stormed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Cloud asked.

Yuffie made no reply, slamming the door shut behind her. Cloud stood to go after her, but Tifa shook her head, "Leave her. Let her sort herself out."

"She seems pretty convinced of Vincent's innocence," said Cait Sith. "I wonder if she knows something we don't."

Cid exhaled cigarette smoke and shrugged, "Possibly. But I reckon she's just a crazy mixed-up kid. She obviously likes Vincent and can't bring herself to believe that he's not what she thought he was."

"What we all thought he was," Tifa sighed. "I don't want us to get carried away with thoughts of vengeance. Killing him won't bring back Red or Barret. We have to – "

"Look!" Cid yelled, jumping out of his seat. "At the window!"

The other three turned to look where he was pointing. There was a flash of crimson as a figure darted out of sight.

"Vincent!" Cloud exclaimed. "He was watching us!"

"Probably deciding which of us was gonna kill next," said Cid, picking up the Venus Gospel. "Come on, let's go after him!"

He hurried to the door. The others got up and followed him. Cid pushed the front door open and the four of them left the house, looking around to see where Vincent had gone.

"No sign of him," said Cloud. "He must have gone around the side of the house. Come on, we'd better hurry!"

"Where's Yuffie?" asked Tifa.

"She'll be somewhere around. Our priority is to catch Vincent!" Cid exclaimed.

They ran around to the back of the house, looking for any sign of their quarry. Barret's house backed on to a large forest, and they caught a glimpse of his red cloak just as Vincent slipped into the cover of the trees.

"Careful. It might be a trap," said Tifa.

"No time to be careful! We can't let him get away!" Cid retorted, brandishing the Venus Gospel and running towards the tree-line.

"Wait! Wait for us!"

After a moment's hesitation, Cloud and Tifa hurried after him, with Cait Sith close behind them. They reached the trees, but neither Cid nor Vincent was in sight. Both of them had disappeared into the dark interior of the forest.

"They could be anywhere," said Cait.

"Cid? Where are you?" called Cloud.

There was no answer. Cloud stepped into the forest, scanning for the ground for any indication of which way the two men had gone. Unfortunately the ground was hard, and covered in pine needles, leaving no footprints or anything else they could use for tracking. They pressed on, hoping that Cid hadn't gone too far.

"Gosh, it's dark in here," said Tifa, as they walked further into the woods. "I can hardly see a thing."

"Me too. Say – where's Cait?"

Tifa looked around, "He was right behind us…where's he gone?"

"You don't think that he – that Vincent – "

"We'd have heard something if that'd happened – wouldn't we?"

"I dunno…keep your eyes and ears open."

She nodded, and they continued to make their way cautiously between the trees, stopping every now again to strain their ears for any noises that might tell them where the others were. Neither of them knew how they'd managed to lose Cait Sith, but the forest was dark enough that Cait might have taken a wrong turn and not noticed he had lost them.

"I still can't see where I'm going," Cloud said. "Watch where you put your feet."

As luck would have it, at that very moment, Tifa caught her foot in a rutted patch of ground and went sprawling forwards. Although they hadn't noticed it in the dark, they were walking on the edge of a small embankment. Tifa rolled off the edge of the embankment and disappeared into the darkness.

"Tifa?!" Cloud yelled, going down on his hands and knees to see where she gone. "Where are you? Tifa?"

If she made a reply, he couldn't hear it. Cloud stood and looked around him. He was alone, and Vincent could be anywhere. He hoped the others were safe. Surveying his options, Cloud decided he had three choices: head back to the house and safety; try and find Tifa; or hunt down Vincent. Trying to stalk Vincent in the dark, silent forest would be near-suicidal, given Vincent's vastly superior senses of sight and hearing. Nor did Cloud wish to beat a cowardly retreat while leaving his friends in danger. He decided to go after Tifa, then try and find some trace of Cait or Cid.

He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "TIFA?"

The cold emptiness of the forest swallowed his voice, and silence descended once more like a blanket. Cloud knelt down and peered around again, but the meagre light that peeked through the trees overhead, was not enough to see anything more than a few inches in front of him. He stood up once more and retraced his steps, trying to find a safe way down the embankment. He had to find Tifa.

* * *

Cait Sith began to worry. How had he managed to lose Cloud and Tifa when they had been right in front of him? He must have turned round to look behind him, then bounced on in one direction while they had taken another. He had no idea where any of the others were now.

There came a sound from behind him, and he whirled round in terror. Had it been footsteps, or was he imagining things? Perhaps it had been an animal or something…or maybe it was Tifa or Cloud?

"Hello?" Cait called nervously. "Cloud? Tifa? Are you th – "

He was taken completely by surprise as something heavy crashed into the back of his head. Cait slumped forward on top of the big stuffed moogle's head, his skull smashed flat, his megaphone falling from his dead fingers on to the ground.

The traitor threw aside the heavy tree branch and walked on. Now only four targets remained.


	5. The Root of All Evil

Chapter Four

Cloud stumbled over a rock and struggled to keep his footing. He looked around, and cursed under his breath. Even though it all looked exactly the same, he was sure he'd been over this path before. In trying to get to where he thought Tifa was, he had to be wandering around in circles. Now he had no idea where he was in relation to house, or where Tifa had fallen, or anywhere for that matter. He needed some way of getting his bearings. If only he had a compass…

Cloud jumped at the sound. It was close, very close. It had come from behind him. He wasn't sure what it was, but it meant somebody was there. He turned round and approached cautiously, steadily nearing the point the noise had come from. He thought he could hear footsteps, padding lightly away, then he rounded another tree and saw what had caused the noise. Cait Sith's large stuffed cat stood motionless, while the smaller cat was sprawled on top, clearly dead.

"Cait!" Cloud cried, running over. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

He knew he wasn't going to get a response. Sadly, Cloud picked up Cait's fallen megaphone and solemnly placed it beside the dead cat. There would be time for a proper ceremonies later. Once the traitor was dead.

* * *

Tifa picked herself up off the ground. She'd landed painfully on her side, and been knocked unconscious for a while. How long, she couldn't tell. Probably not long. Where was Cloud?"

"Cloud?" she called.

In the distance, she thought she heard somebody. Was it Cloud, calling her? Tifa ran towards the source of the noise, her fear growing as she realised that the traitor could be anywhere, even right behind her. She ran faster, hoping she'd find Cloud or one of the others. Safety in numbers…

She heard another voice shouting, and homed in on the sound. There was a clearing up ahead, and Tifa could see two people standing there. One of them held a weapon. Tifa kept running. She burst through the trees into the clearing, and gasped when she saw who was there.

Cid stood on her left, his body tensed and his eyes fixed on the other person. Vincent, on her right, held his Death Penalty, pointing it directly at the pilot's head. His eyes were narrowed and he was staring at Cid with undisguised hatred.

"Vincent, no!" Tifa screamed. "Don't do it!"

Vincent turned to face her, murder in his crimson eyes.

"Don't try and stop me, Tifa," he rasped.

"No…" she pleaded. "There's been too many killings already!"

"Too many killings," Vincent hissed. "Yes, so much spilled blood…"

He shut his eyes and shook his head to clear his thoughts. His grip loosened on the Death Penalty. Cid took advantage of Vincent's momentary distraction to leap into action, shoving Vincent to the ground and grabbing the Death Penalty from the surprised gunman's arms. Vincent recovered quickly, rolling over and getting to his feet in one fluid motion.

"Give me the gun," he demanded.

Cid shook his head, "I don't think so."

He shot Vincent in the torso, and the raven-haired man was sent flying backwards, colliding with a tree, lying in a steadily growing pool of his own blood.

* * *

Cloud came crashing through the tree-line, into the clearing, just in time to see Vincent getting shot and collapsing against the tree. Vincent looked up, blood dribbling from his lips, and tried to form words. They wouldn't come, and he slumped sideways on the ground, dead.

Cloud breathed a sigh of relief. It was over. They were safe.

Cid turned and shot Tifa in the chest.

Cloud gaped with horror. He'd been wrong.

Tifa's upper body erupted in a shower of red blood as she was spun round by the force of the shot, and flung into the undergrowth.

"NO!" the heart-rending scream was wrenched from the depths of Cloud's soul.

Oblivious to Cid pointing the gun at him, he ran forward and collapsed, shaking with tears, by Tifa's side. Her face, miraculously untouched by the shooting, was still beautiful, still perfect, even in death. Just like Aeris.

Cloud's blood boiled and fury rose in him like a volcano as he heard Cid's dry, mocking laugh from behind him. Wrenching himself to his feet, Cloud screamed, "WHY?!"

"Why?" Cid repeated. "Stupid question, really. Money, of course. What else matters?"

"A lot of things," Cloud heard himself saying, in a hollow voice, as if his insides had been ripped out and replaced by a vacuum. "Love – friendship – family – all the things you've taken away from me."

The treacherous pilot shrugged, "Don't care for those things myself. Money's my only concern."

"Is that why? Is that why you turned against us? Why you killed my friends? You were bought?"

"I never turned against you. I was never on your side in the first place. I was working for President Shinra long before I met you."

"But when we met you in Rocket Town – you were with the President then – he tried to kill you and you joined us."

Cid laughed once more, "I never joined you. The whole thing was staged so I could infiltrate your group, and you were simply too stupid to realise."

"But Rufus is dead – how can you still be working for him?"

"He isn't dead. He survived the Weapon attack. A few days ago he contacted me and told me to eliminate your group."

"So you've been killing us off, one by one?"

"That's right. I took out that freak lion first, since he was the only one among you with a brain. He'd have sniffed around and figured things out, made things difficult for me, so I wanted him out of the way from the beginning. Then I killed that moronic Barret – he was the protector and father figure of your group. I guessed that without him, you'd begin to lose your way. Looks as if I was right."

"Then you killed Cait."

"Oh, you found him, did you? Yeah, he was bumbling about in the forest while I was tracking Vincent. I had to finish him before he started asking awkward questions."

"Then you shot Vincent and – and Tifa," Cloud felt his voice falter and tears coming into his eyes once more.

Cid smiled, but it was the smile of a shark, "Yup, and now I'm going to finish the job. I was offered ten billion gil in reward. Once your party is dead, I'm going to be a very rich man."

"No," came a voice from behind him. "You're going to be a dead man!"

Yuffie leapt from the trees, knocking Cid to the ground, pummelling him with blows.

"How could you do that?" she screamed. "How could you murder Vinnie and my other friends? I'll kill you!"

Attacking in a blind rage, she was unprepared for Cid swinging the butt of the Death Penalty into her side, and pushing her away with his arms. Yuffie was thrown aside, landing beside Vincent's dead body, her fury spent, replaced by a deep, terrible sadness.

"Vinnie," she sobbed, burying her face in the dead man's chest. "Oh, Vinnie."

"Touching," Cid said sarcastically, cocking the Death Penalty and walking over towards her. "You and he had a thing for each other, I take it."

"He told me he loved me," Yuffie said, heartbroken. "Right after Aeris' funeral. He told me loved me and he wanted to spend time with me. That's how I knew he was innocent. That's how I knew he wasn't a killer. He wouldn't have said that to me if he was just going to kill us all."

"How sweet," the pilot mocked. "Yes, I have to admit I framed him. The weapon I used to kill Red XIII was stolen from Vincent. He must have figured out it was me – that's why he attacked me outside my place last night. I knew that sooner or later, he'd tell the rest of you about me. I had to make him look as guilty as possible so that nobody would believe him. Then, when he showed up here, I decided I might as well silence him permanently."

"You've killed five people – five of the bravest, most heroic people I've ever known – all for money," Cloud spat angrily. "I hope you can buy yourself a new conscience."

"Never had one," Cid smirked.

He pointed the Death Penalty at the sobbing ninja girl's head and pulled the trigger.

The only sound that came was a hollow _click_. The shotgun was empty.

"DAMMIT!" Cid yelled.

Cloud screamed, a raw, primal howl of vengeance as he sprang towards the traitorous pilot. Wrestling the taller man to the ground, he let every last vestige of his anger flow into his attack, battering Cid with repeated blows to the head and torso. As his anger and strength began to ebb, Cloud slumped and collapsed on to his side. Cid lay on the ground, bruised, bleeding, dead, the empty shotgun still in his hands. Cloud didn't feel any triumph or satisfaction at having beaten his enemy. All he felt was a deep, unquenchable sadness, for the loss of his love for the second time in his life. He curled into a ball, feeling sick to his stomach, unwilling to get up and face the world, a world without Tifa, a world without Aeris.

A hand touched his.

"Cloud?" said Yuffie.

Cloud looked up. Her face was streaked with blood and tears, her expression the same tragic mask that he knew his own face must bear. She was the only one left. Once there had been eight. Now there were just two, just him and Yuffie. Six people had died, all to satisfy one man's insatiable greed for money.

Cloud's rough, callused hand closed around Yuffie's small, soft hand. They gripped each other tightly, unwilling to let go of the only person they had left. He pulled her close to him and they lay together, sharing their loss, their pain, and their terrible, unrelenting sadness. They wrapped their arms around each other, and Cloud, as he felt her small, vulnerable form against his, knew that he'd do anything in his power to protect Yuffie now. She was all he had left. He'd move heaven and earth for her.

He loved her.

****

The End

A/N: well, I hope you enjoyed the story. Please leave a review! Thanks to all those who have already done so, especially DarkThought for his/her extremely well thought-out analysis. You certainly picked up on one or two of the more subtle clues I left. Don't worry, I didn't alter the story to annoy you, I knew who the traitor was from the very start. In fact the whole idea of the story was based on it. 

Thanks once again and please read some of my other FF7 works.


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